U.S. patent number 10,165,164 [Application Number 14/910,727] was granted by the patent office on 2018-12-25 for image pickup apparatus having rotating sphere section and stopper structure for limiting rotation of the rotating sphere section.
This patent grant is currently assigned to SONY CORPORATION. The grantee listed for this patent is SONY CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Yutaka Basho.
United States Patent |
10,165,164 |
Basho |
December 25, 2018 |
Image pickup apparatus having rotating sphere section and stopper
structure for limiting rotation of the rotating sphere section
Abstract
Aspects of the present disclosure provide an image pickup
apparatus that includes a lens tube, a supporting member, and a
retaining member. The lens tube includes a rotating sphere section.
The retaining member has a circular opening. The retaining member
accommodates the rotating sphere section on an inner side of the
circular opening. A portion of the rotating sphere section is
movably received between the supporting member and the retaining
member. The rotating sphere section includes a protrusion formed on
a front surface thereof. The retaining member has a stopper
structure that comes into contact with the front surface of the
rotating sphere section by an elastic force. The rotating sphere
section is rotatable with respect to the retaining member along a
rotation direction limited to a range defined according to the
stopper structure coming into contact with opposite sides of the
protrusion.
Inventors: |
Basho; Yutaka (Kanagawa,
JP) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SONY CORPORATION |
Tokyo |
N/A |
JP |
|
|
Assignee: |
SONY CORPORATION (Tokyo,
JP)
|
Family
ID: |
52586370 |
Appl.
No.: |
14/910,727 |
Filed: |
August 15, 2014 |
PCT
Filed: |
August 15, 2014 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/JP2014/071468 |
371(c)(1),(2),(4) Date: |
February 08, 2016 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO2015/029802 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
March 05, 2015 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20160182783 A1 |
Jun 23, 2016 |
|
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
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Aug 30, 2013 [JP] |
|
|
2013-179603 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N
5/2252 (20130101); G03B 17/02 (20130101); G08B
13/19632 (20130101); H04N 5/2251 (20130101); H04N
5/2254 (20130101); G03B 37/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04N
5/225 (20060101); G08B 13/196 (20060101); G03B
17/02 (20060101); G03B 37/02 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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|
|
|
|
|
|
6-148494 |
|
May 1994 |
|
JP |
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2000-156806 |
|
Jun 2000 |
|
JP |
|
2000-165732 |
|
Jun 2000 |
|
JP |
|
2004-112553 |
|
Apr 2004 |
|
JP |
|
2008-141233 |
|
Jun 2008 |
|
JP |
|
WO 2012/004952 |
|
Jan 2012 |
|
WO |
|
Other References
Extended European Search Report dated Mar. 2, 2017 in European
Patent Application No. 14840428.8. cited by applicant .
International Search Report dated Nov. 4, 2014 in
PCT/JP2014/071468. cited by applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Haskins; Twyler L
Assistant Examiner: Chiu; Wesley J
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Oblon, McClelland, Maier &
Neustadt, L.L.P.
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. An image pickup apparatus, comprising: an optical portion that
includes a lens; an image pickup device; a lens tube that
accommodates the optical portion and the image pickup device and
includes a rotating sphere section having a spherical shape larger
than a hemisphere; a supporting member in which a first circular
opening having an inner diameter smaller than a diameter of the
rotating sphere section is formed, the rotating sphere section
being movably mounted on the supporting member on an outer side of
the first circular opening; and a retaining member in which a
second circular opening having an inner diameter smaller than the
diameter of the rotating sphere section is formed, the retaining
member accommodating the rotating sphere section on an inner side
of the second circular opening and preventing the lens tube from
falling out, wherein the image pickup device is provided inside the
rotating sphere section, at least a part of the optical portion is
positioned inside a virtual globe obtained by extending a spherical
surface of the rotating sphere section, the rotating sphere section
includes a front surface and a protrusion protruding from the front
surface, the retaining member has a stopper structure that is
slidable along the front surface of the rotating sphere section
while in contact with the front surface of the rotating sphere
section by an elastic force, and a rotation of the rotating sphere
section with respect to the retaining member along a rotation
direction is limited to a range defined according to the stopper
structure coming into contact with opposite sides of the
protrusion.
2. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the
stopper structure includes a member having the elastic force.
3. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the
rotating sphere section includes two grooves formed on the front
surface of the rotating sphere section, and the protrusion is
disposed between the two grooves and constitutes a portion of the
virtual globe.
4. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: the
stopper structure includes a plate-like spring; a width of the
spring is larger than a width of the grooves; and the rotation of
the rotating sphere section is stopped by one end of the plate-like
spring coming into contact with the protrusion of the rotating
sphere section.
5. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the
grooves are provided on the front surface of the rotating sphere
section as an arc having an angle equal to or larger than a movable
range of the lens tube in a tilt direction as a center angle.
6. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the
stopper structure includes a column and a spring; and a state where
the column is in contact with the front surface of the rotating
sphere section is maintained by a force of the spring.
7. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: the
stopper structure includes a plate-like spring; a width of the
spring is equal to or smaller than a width of the grooves; and the
rotation of the rotating sphere section is stopped by one end of
the plate-like spring coming into contact with the protrusion of
the rotating sphere section.
8. An image pickup apparatus, comprising: a lens tube including a
rotating sphere section that has a spherical shape larger than a
hemisphere; a supporting member; and a retaining member in which a
circular opening having an inner diameter smaller than a diameter
of the rotating sphere section is formed, the retaining member
accommodating the rotating sphere section on an inner side of the
circular opening, and a portion of the rotating sphere section
being movably received between the supporting member and the
retaining member, wherein the rotating sphere section includes a
front surface and a protrusion protruding from the front surface,
the retaining member has a stopper structure that is slidable along
the front surface of the rotating sphere section while in contact
with the front surface of the rotating sphere section by an elastic
force, and a rotation of the rotating sphere section with respect
to the retaining member along a rotation direction is limited to a
range defined according to the stopper structure coming into
contact with opposite sides of the protrusion.
9. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 8, wherein: the
stopper structure includes a plate-like spring; and the rotation of
the rotating sphere section is stopped by one end of the plate-like
spring coming into contact with the protrusion of the rotating
sphere section.
10. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the
rotating sphere section is movable along a tilt direction and a pan
direction that are different from the rotation direction.
11. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the
rotating sphere section is movable along a tilt direction and a pan
direction that are different from the rotation direction.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present technique relates to an image pickup apparatus, more
specifically, to a mechanism for enhancing reliability of an image
pickup apparatus in which a lens tube accommodating an optical
block and an image pickup block is rotatable.
BACKGROUND ART
An example of the lens-tube-rotation-type image pickup apparatus in
which a lens tube rotates is a dome-type monitoring camera set on a
ceiling, wall, and the like in a building. Dome-type cameras are
set for the purpose of securing safety, improving services, and the
like in hospitals, hotels, department stores, and the like and
perform monitoring using photographed images. Specifically, the
dome-type cameras are each obtained by accommodating an optical
block constituted of a lens and an image pickup block constituted
of an image pickup device in the lens tube, attaching the lens tube
so as to be rotatable in both the horizontal (hereinafter, referred
to as "pan direction") and vertical directions (hereinafter,
referred to as "tilt direction"), and covering an outer
circumference of a movable area of the lens tube by a dome-type
cover. Image pickup signals from the image pickup block are
connected to a monitor in a monitoring room via a coaxial
cable.
Here, the dome-type cameras as described above are each set by
being fixed to a ceiling, wall, and the like of a building by an
embedded bracket after the coaxial cable is connected to a back
surface thereof. Next, a lens is adjusted to a predetermined
orientation (direction and angle) by an angle adjustment mechanism
of the lens tube, and focus and zoom of the lens are set. At this
time, the setting is performed while looking at a monitor image at
a setting location and checking an image pickup direction and range
using a portable monitor. Finally, dust is prevented by attaching a
dome-type cover on a front surface, and a series of setting tasks
is ended.
As described above, when setting the dome-type camera, the lens
orientation is set by adjusting an angle of the lens tube. A
technique that uses a ball joint as the angle adjustment mechanism
is known. Specifically, this technique enables the lens tube to be
rotationally adjustable in the pan direction and tilt direction by
a rotating sphere section provided at a base end of the lens tube
and the rotating sphere section to be fixed to a supporting member
provided on a pedestal by a retaining member (see, for example,
Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No.
2000-156806
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Problem to be Solved by the Invention
The dome-type cameras are set on walls, ceilings, and the like and
are also sometimes set on tilted walls and the like. Depending on
where the dome-type camera is set, a photographed image may become
upside down, or an image tilted in an oblique direction may be
obtained. As a mechanism for correcting such an image, there is a
camera including a function called rotate or the like.
In the camera including rotate, a rotatable portion including the
lens (lens tube) is rotated in directions other than the pan
direction and the tilt direction described above so that the lens
can be rotated to an angle at which an uninverted, non-tilted image
can be obtained.
There has been a possibility that, by rotating the rotatable
portion, a cable will be unplugged when rotated 360 degrees or
more, for example. In other words, there has been a possibility
that if a user rotates the rotatable portion more than necessary,
the cable will be unplugged. If the cable is unplugged, product
reliability may be lowered, so it is necessary to prevent the cable
from being unplugged.
The present technique has been made in view of the circumstances as
described above and aims at preventing a cable from being unplugged
from a rotatable portion.
Means for Solving the Problem
According to an aspect of the present technique, there is provided
an image pickup apparatus including: an optical block constituted
of a lens; an image pickup block constituted of an image pickup
device; a lens tube that accommodates the optical block and the
image pickup block and includes a rotating sphere section having a
shape of a sphere larger than a hemisphere; a supporting member in
which a circular opening having an inner diameter smaller than a
diameter of the rotating sphere section is formed, the rotating
sphere section being mounted on the supporting member on an outer
side of the opening; and a retaining member in which a circular
opening having an inner diameter smaller than the diameter of the
rotating sphere section is formed, the retaining member
accommodating the rotating sphere section on an inner side of the
opening and preventing the lens tube from falling out, in which:
the image pickup block is provided inside the rotating sphere
section; at least a part of the optical block is positioned inside
a virtual globe obtained by extending a spherical surface of the
rotating sphere section; the rotating sphere section has two
grooves formed on a front surface thereof; and the retaining member
has a protrusion that comes into contact with the front surface of
the rotating sphere section.
The protrusion may be constituted of a member having an elastic
force.
The protrusion may be constituted of a plate-like spring, a width
of the spring may be equal to or smaller than a width of the
grooves, and a rotation of the rotating sphere section may be
stopped by one end of the plate-like spring coming into contact
with the protrusion constituting the virtual globe between the two
grooves.
The protrusion may be constituted of a plate-like spring, a width
of the spring may be larger than a width of the grooves, and a
rotation of the rotating sphere section may be stopped by one end
of the plate-like spring coming into contact with the protrusion
constituting the virtual globe between the two grooves.
The grooves may be provided on the front surface of the rotating
sphere section as an arc having an angle equal to or larger than a
movable range of the lens tube in a tilt direction as a center
angle.
The protrusion may be constituted of a column and a spring, and a
state where the column is in contact with the front surface of the
rotating sphere section may be maintained by a force of the
spring.
According to the aspect of the present technique, the image pickup
apparatus includes: the optical block constituted of a lens; the
image pickup block constituted of an image pickup device; the lens
tube that accommodates the optical block and the image pickup block
and includes the rotating sphere section having a shape of a sphere
larger than a hemisphere; the supporting member in which a circular
opening having an inner diameter smaller than a diameter of the
rotating sphere section is formed, the rotating sphere section
being mounted on the supporting member on an outer side of the
opening; and the retaining member in which a circular opening
having an inner diameter smaller than the diameter of the rotating
sphere section is formed, the retaining member accommodating the
rotating sphere section on an inner side of the opening and
preventing the lens tube from falling out. Further, the rotating
sphere section has two grooves formed on a front surface thereof,
and the retaining member has a protrusion that comes into contact
with the front surface of the rotating sphere section.
Effects of the Invention
According to the aspect of the present technique, it is possible to
prevent a cable from being unplugged from the rotatable
portion.
It should be noted that the effect described herein is not
necessarily limited, and any of the effects described in the
present disclosure may be obtained.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 Diagrams each showing an external structure of a camera to
which the present technique is applied according to an
embodiment.
FIG. 2 External views each showing a pedestal and a lens tube.
FIG. 3 A cross-sectional diagram of a camera.
FIG. 4 A diagram for explaining a stopper spring.
FIG. 5 A diagram for explaining grooves.
FIG. 6 A diagram for explaining a stopper mechanism.
FIG. 7 A diagram for explaining other structures of the stopper
spring.
FIG. 8 A diagram for explaining a groove length.
FIG. 9 Diagrams for explaining a width of the stopper spring.
FIG. 10 Diagrams for explaining a groove shape.
MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a configuration for embodying the present technique
(hereinafter, referred to as embodiment) will be described.
It should be noted that the descriptions will be given in the
following order.
1. External structure of image pickup apparatus
2. Internal structure of image pickup apparatus
3. Stopper structure
4. Other shapes of stopper
<External Structure of Image Pickup Apparatus>
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present technique will be
described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that
in the following embodiment, a monitoring dome-type camera 10 is
exemplified as a lens-tube-rotation-type image pickup apparatus.
Specifically, the dome-type camera 10 of this embodiment is set on
a ceiling, wall, or the like in hospitals, hotels, department
stores, and the like for the purpose of securing safety, improving
services, and the like and performs monitoring using photographed
images.
FIG. 1 are external views each showing the dome-type camera 10 of
this embodiment. FIG. 1A is a side view of the dome-type camera 10,
and FIG. 1B is a perspective view thereof. As shown in FIG. 1, the
dome-type camera 10 of this embodiment externally has a dome-type
(hemispherical) cover 20 attached to a case 30 and is set on a
ceiling, wall, or the like via a pedestal 40. It should be noted
that when set on a ceiling, the cover 20 faces downward and the
pedestal 40 is positioned at the top (ceiling side) contrary to
that shown in FIG. 1.
Here, the cover 20 is a molded product (injection-molded product
formed of acrylic resin) having optical transparency. In other
words, by using an acrylic resin, the cover has an optical
refractive index of 1.5 and optical transmittance of as high as 90%
or more so as to become close to an optical lens, and accurate
mirror finish can be obtained by the injection molding. In
addition, the cover 20 of the dome-type camera 10 is generally
translucent so as to be capable of picking up images while
unrecognizably performing monitoring as much as possible.
For example, the optical transmittance, optical reflectance, and
optical absorptivity are all set to be about 33% by mixing a carbon
material when performing the injection molding and adjusting the
optical transmittance to obtain smoke finish, or coating a front
surface with metallic powder of aluminum or the like to obtain
half-mirror finish.
Further, the case 30 is a molded product (molded product formed of
ABS resin or the like) and formed to be cylindrical. In addition,
the cover 20 is detachably attached to the case 30. Specifically,
three protrusion pieces (not shown) are formed at a circular
circumferential section of the cover 20 at regular intervals of
120.degree., and three notches (not shown) are formed on the case
30 in correspondence with the protrusion pieces.
Therefore, in attaching the cover 20, the protrusion pieces of the
cover 20 are simultaneously inserted into the notches of the case
30, and the cover 20 is rotated so that the protrusion pieces are
inserted deeply into the notches to be held in the case 30. On the
other hand, when removing the cover 20 from the case 30, it is only
necessary to rotate the cover 20 in a direction opposite to that
during the attachment and pull out the protrusion pieces from the
notches.
Inside the cover 20 and the case 30, a lens tube 50 (see FIG. 1A)
accommodating an optical block 70 and an image pickup block 80 is
provided, and the lens tube 50 is rotatably held on the pedestal
40. Therefore, by setting the lens tube 50 in a desired direction
or angle by removing the cover 20 from the case 30, monitoring of a
desired position can be performed based on photographed images.
Moreover, the lens tube 50 (optical block) can be hidden from
outside by attaching the translucent cover 20 to the case 30.
The dome-type camera 10 of this embodiment including the cover 20
and the case 30 as described above is set on ceilings, walls, and
the like via the pedestal 40. Specifically, the pedestal 40
includes a disk-like base section 41 die-cast-molded by metal such
as an aluminum alloy and is set on a ceiling or the like using an
embedded bracket (not shown) attached to the base section 41. It
should be noted that although the dome-type camera 10 is connected
to a monitor in a monitoring room via a coaxial cable when set, the
coaxial cable is also embedded into the ceiling or the like so as
to be hidden from outside.
FIG. 2 are external views each showing the pedestal 40 and the lens
tube 50 in the dome-type camera 10 of this embodiment. FIG. 2A is a
side view of the pedestal 40 and the lens tube 50, and FIG. 2B is a
perspective view thereof. When the cover 20 and the case 30 are
removed in the dome-type camera 10 shown in FIG. 1, the pedestal 40
and the lens tube 50 are exposed as shown in FIG. 2.
Here, the pedestal 40 includes the disk-like base section 41, a
supporting member 42 that is set on the base section 41 and on
which a rotating sphere section 52 of the lens tube 50 is mounted,
and a cylindrical retaining member 43 that accommodates the
rotating sphere section 52 and prevents the lens tube 50 from
falling out. In addition, attached to the base section 41 is a
circuit board 60 on which various electronic components are
mounted, the electronic components used for photoelectrically
converting a tone of light of an image imaged on an image pickup
surface of the image pickup device into charge amounts and
successively reading them out to convert them into electric
signals. It should be noted that the circuit board 60 functions as
a signal processing substrate and a power supply substrate and
includes a monitor output terminal, a coaxial cable terminal, other
switches and volumes, and the like.
Further, the supporting member 42 includes a disk-like movable
plate 44 on which the rotating sphere section 52 is mounted, the
movable plate 44 being structured to press the rotating sphere
section 52 toward the retaining member 43, and a fixing screw 45
that reciprocates the movable plate 44. The movable plate 44
rotates about a rotating shaft 46 provided in the supporting member
42 at a circumferential section of the movable plate 44, and the
fixing screw 45 is provided in the supporting member 42 on the
other side of the rotating shaft 46 and screwed to the
circumferential section of the movable plate 44.
Therefore, when the fixing screw 45 is rotated clockwise (screwing
direction), the movable plate 44 rotates about the rotating shaft
46 on one end side (rotates upwardly in FIG. 2), and the other end
side moves toward the retaining member 43. As a result, the
rotating sphere section 52 mounted on the movable plate 44 is
pressed toward the retaining member 43. On the contrary, when the
fixing screw 45 is rotated counterclockwise, the movable plate 44
rotates oppositely about the rotating shaft 46 on one end side
(rotates downwardly in FIG. 2), and the other end side moves toward
the base section 41.
Further, the lens tube 50 is rotatable in the pan direction and
tilt direction by the rotating sphere section 52 so that a lens 71
can be set at a desired orientation (direction and angle). It
should be noted that a focus ring 53 and a zoom lever 54 are
attached to the lens tube 50, and light from an image pickup object
can be imaged on the image pickup surface of the image pickup
device in a desired size.
Furthermore, the lens tube 50 is structured to be rotatable in a
rotate direction. The dome-type camera 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is
set on walls, ceilings, and the like and is also sometimes set on
tilted walls and the like. Depending on where the dome-type camera
is set, a photographed image may become upside down, or an image
tilted in an oblique direction may be obtained. As a mechanism for
correcting such an image, there is a camera including a function
called rotate or the like.
In the camera including rotate, the lens 71 (lens tube 50) is
rotated in directions other than the pan direction and tilt
direction described above so that the lens can be rotated to an
angle at which an uninverted, non-tilted image can be obtained.
By rotating the lens tube, the cable (not shown) may be unplugged
when rotated 360 degrees or more, for example. For preventing such
a case, the camera 10 to which the present technique is applied has
a structure in which a stopper is provided with respect to the
rotation direction of rotate and the lens tube 50 is controlled so
as not to rotate a predetermined angle or more in the rotate
direction. The stopper will be described with reference to FIG. 4
and subsequent figures.
<Internal Structure of Image Pickup Apparatus>
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional diagram of the dome-type camera 10. The
dome-type camera 10 shown in FIG. 3 uses a relatively-small lens
71, but the present technique is not limited to such a lens 71.
The optical block 70 constituted of the lens 71 is accommodated in
the lens tube 50 including a cylindrical section 51 and the
rotating sphere section 52. It should be noted that the lens tube
50 is die-cast-molded using metal such as an aluminum alloy.
Here, the lens 71 is a varifocal lens constituted of a plurality of
relatively-small combination lenses or the like. By attaching the
lens 71 inside the cylindrical section 51, the entire cylindrical
section 51 constitutes the optical block 70. Moreover, for the
optical block 70 to be positioned inside a virtual globe (virtual
globe indicated by dotted line in FIG. 3) obtained by extending,
while excluding the lens 71, the spherical surface of the rotating
sphere section 52 in a shape of a sphere larger than a hemisphere,
about half of the optical block 70 on a tip end side (lens 71 side)
is positioned outside the rotating sphere section 52 and about half
of the optical block 70 remaining on a rear end side is positioned
inside a hollow section of the rotating sphere section 52.
Furthermore, a CCD device 81 is relatively small to be of a size
corresponding to the size of the lens 71, and the image pickup
block 80 constituted of the CCD device 81 is entirely positioned
inside the rotating sphere section 52. Specifically, the image
pickup block 80 is constituted of a CCD substrate on which the CCD
device 81 is mounted, or the like in addition to the
relatively-small CCD device 81, and the CCD device 81 is arranged
on an optical axis of the lens 71 on the rear end side of the
optical block 70. Therefore, the entire image pickup block 80 is
positioned inside the hollow section of the rotating sphere section
52. It should be noted that image pickup signals of the CCD device
81 are transmitted to the circuit board 60 via a harness (not
shown) that is an electrical wiring bundle.
As described above, the lens tube 50 accommodates the optical block
70 constituted of the relatively-small lens 71 and the image pickup
block 80 constituted of the relatively-small CCD device 81. The
optical block 70 is provided inside the cylindrical section 51, and
the image pickup block 80 is provided inside the rotating sphere
section 52 into which about half the cylindrical section 51 is
embedded. In addition, the lens tube 50 including the cylindrical
section 51 and the rotating sphere section 52 is rotatably held by
the pedestal 40.
More specifically on this point, the supporting member 42 on which
the rotating sphere section 52 is mounted and the retaining member
43 that accommodates the rotating sphere section 52 and prevents
the lens tube 50 from falling out are provided on the base section
41 of the pedestal 40. In addition, the camera 10 uses the
supporting member 42, the retaining member 43, and the rotating
sphere section 52 as an angle adjustment mechanism that uses a ball
joint.
Here, the supporting member 42 constituting the angle adjustment
mechanism includes the bottomed, cylindrical movable plate 44 in
which a circular opening 44a having an inner diameter smaller than
a diameter of the rotating sphere section 52 is formed. The movable
plate 44 is die-cast-molded with metal such as an aluminum alloy,
and a circumferential section thereof is supported by the insertion
of the rotating shaft 46 provided in the supporting member 42 while
the circumferential section thereof on the other side is supported
by the screwing of the fixing screw 45 provided in the supporting
member 42 on the other side of the rotating shaft 46. Therefore,
the rotating sphere section 52 can be mounted on an outer side of
the opening 44a of the movable plate 44, and the mounted rotating
sphere section 52 can rotate freely on the outer side of the
opening 44a.
Further, the retaining member 43 is a bottomless, cylindrical
member that is die-cast-molded with metal such as an aluminum
alloy, and a circular opening 43a having an inner diameter smaller
than the diameter of the rotating sphere section 52 is formed in
the retaining member 43. In addition, the retaining member 43
accommodates (a large portion of) the rotating sphere section 52 in
a space formed with the movable plate 44 by being fixed to the
supporting member 42 on the outer side of the movable plate 44 and
causing the cylindrical section 51 and the rotating sphere section
52 (partially) to protrude from the opening 43a. Therefore, the
spherical surface of the rotating sphere section 52 formed as a
sphere larger than a hemisphere, that is more on the cylindrical
section 51 side than the hemisphere, is restrained by the
circumferential section of the opening 43a, and thus the rotating
sphere section 52 is prevented from falling out from the retaining
member 43.
As described above, the rotating sphere section 52 is accommodated
while the spherical surface thereof is fit into the opening 43a of
the retaining member 43 and the opening 44a of the movable plate
44. However, in a state where there is a gap between the
circumferential section of the opening 43a (or circumferential
section of opening 44a) and the spherical surface of the rotating
sphere section 52 and friction between them can be disregarded, no
restraining force is generated with respect to the rotation of the
rotating sphere section 52. Therefore, the lens 71 can be set to a
predetermined orientation (direction and angle) by freely rotating
the lens tube 50 in the pan, tilt, and rotate directions and
adjusting the orientation thereof as appropriate.
Further, the lens tube 50 is fixed as shown in FIG. 3 after the
orientation of the lens 71 is set. Specifically, when the fixing
screw 45 is screwed, the movable plate 44 rotates about the
rotating shaft 46 accompanying this, and the movable plate 44 that
has been apart from the retaining member 43 on the fixing screw 45
side approaches the retaining member 43 (moves as indicated by
arrow of FIG. 3). As a result, the rotating sphere section 52
mounted on the outer side of the opening 44a of the movable plate
44 also moves toward the opening 43a of the retaining member
43.
At this time, the circumferential section of the opening 44a comes
into contact with the spherical surface of the rotating sphere
section 52 to press the rotating sphere section 52, but since the
moving direction of the movable plate 44 and that of the rotating
sphere section 52 match (both move in direction indicated by arrow
in FIG. 3), the positional relationship (orientation of lens tube
50) between the movable plate 44 and the rotating sphere section 52
does not change. In other words, since the movable plate 44 does
not rotate relative to the rotating sphere section 52, a frictional
force that rotates the rotating sphere section 52 is not generated,
and the rotating sphere section 52 is only pressed in the same
direction as the moving direction of the movable plate 44
(direction indicated by arrow in FIG. 3). Therefore, the rotating
sphere section 52 moves toward the opening 43a of the retaining
member 43 while maintaining the same position on the outer side of
the opening 44a of the movable plate 44.
Then, when the spherical surface of the rotating sphere section 52
comes into contact with the circumferential section of the opening
43a, the rotating sphere section 52 is pressed by the opening 43a
to be pressurized between the opening 43a of the retaining member
43 and the opening 44a of the movable plate 44 as shown in FIG. 3.
Accordingly, the rotating sphere section 52 is unmovably fixed to
the movable plate 44. As a result, the lens tube 50 is unmovably
fixed while maintaining the adjusted pan, tilt, and rotate
directions, and thus the orientation (direction and angle) of the
lens 71 is set accurately.
As described above, by rotating the rotating sphere section 52 and
fixing it as appropriate in the dome-type camera 10, the direction
and angle of the lens tube 50 (orientation of lens 71) can be set
easily and accurately. A desired position can be monitored by
attaching the cover 20 and picking up images.
Further, since the optical block 70 (excluding portion of lens 71)
is positioned inside the virtual globe of the rotating sphere
section 52 indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 3, the lens 71
(cylindrical section 51) can be enlarged as much as possible
without increasing the radius from the rotating center of the
rotating sphere section 52 to the lens 71 as long as the optical
block 70 can be provided inside the hollow section of the rotating
sphere section 52. Therefore, brightness of the lens 71 can be
increased to obtain high image quality while using the same cover
20.
<Stopper Structure>
The pan direction and tilt direction are set at predetermined
angles. For example, the pan direction is set within a movable
range of .+-.30 degrees, and the tilt direction is set within a
movable range of 0 to 90 degrees. Since a user sets the camera 10
while facing the lens 71 toward a direction to be photographed, the
pan and tilt directions are adjusted as minor adjustments after the
setting in many cases. Therefore, if the pan and tilt directions
are set within the predetermined movable angle ranges, it is
possible to face the lens tube 50 in a direction desired by the
user.
The rotate direction is a direction in which the camera 10 may
become largely movable depending on the set location. For example,
since the upper and lower sides of a photographed image completely
differs between a case where the camera 10 is set on a ceiling and
a case where the camera 10 is set on a desk or the like, the
movable range of the rotate direction is larger the better
considering the case of rotating the lens tube 50 to a direction in
which the upper and lower sides are photographed correctly.
By providing the rotating sphere section 52 as in this embodiment,
the lens tube 50 also becomes movable in the rotate direction, and
it is also possible to rotate the lens tube 50 within the range of
360 degrees. However, in the case of a structure in which rotations
are possible within the range of 360 degrees and a stopper is not
provided, while the user can rotate the lens tube 50 in a desired
rotate direction, the cable may be unplugged when rotated too
much.
In this regard, descriptions will be given on a structure in which
a stopper is provided so as to enable movements within a
predetermined range in the rotate direction and the predetermined
range to be set as a range close to 360 degrees. Moreover, the
provision of the stopper enables those described above to be
performed also in the pan and tilt directions instead of
restricting movements in the pan and tilt directions.
FIGS. 4 and 5 are each a diagram for explaining the stopper related
to the rotate direction. The stopper is provided in the retaining
member 43 and the rotating sphere section 52.
As shown in FIG. 4, a stopper spring 101 is provided in a part of
the retaining member 43. Although the stopper spring 101 is
exemplified herein, any other members excluding a spring may be
used as long as they have the following functions. It should be
noted that a so-called leaf spring or the like as a plate-like
spring is shown in FIG. 4, and a case where the leaf spring is used
as the stopper spring 101 will be described as an example.
As shown in FIG. 5, two grooves 121-1 and 121-2 are provided in the
rotating sphere section 52, and a protrusion 122 is provided
between the grooves 121-1 and 121-2.
The protrusion 122 constitutes the virtual globe (portion indicated
by dotted line in FIG. 3) of the rotating sphere section 52, and a
tip end of the protrusion 122 is a curved surface constituting the
sphere. The grooves 121-1 and 121-2 have structures as if portions
constituting the virtual globe of the rotating sphere section 52
have been scraped off. In the descriptions below, when there is no
need to individually distinguish the grooves 121-1 and 121-2 from
each other, the grooves will simply be described as grooves
121.
Referring to FIG. 6, the stopper spring 101 and the grooves 121
when functioning as the stopper will be described.
At a time T1, the stopper spring 101 is in contact with a part of
the rotating sphere section 52. The stopper spring 101 is
structured to be capable of constantly maintaining a state where it
is in contact with the rotating sphere section 52. Assuming that
the rotating sphere section 52 rotates rightwardly as shown in the
figure, the state where the stopper spring 101 is in contact with
the rotating sphere section 52 is maintained as shown in the figure
also while the rotating sphere section 52 is rotating.
By rotating the rotating sphere section 52 at a time T2, the groove
121-1 provided on the front surface of the rotating sphere section
52 is positioned at the position of the stopper spring 101. The
stopper spring 101 is in contact with a part of the spherical
surface of the rotating sphere section 52 while the rotating sphere
section 52 is rotating and comes into contact with the groove 121-1
by an elastic force of the spring when positioned at the portion of
the groove 121-1.
When the user additionally rotates the rotating sphere section 52
rightwardly from the state where the stopper spring 101 is
positioned at the groove 121-1, the left-hand side of the stopper
spring 101 in the figure comes into contact with the protrusion
122. When the stopper spring 101 comes into contact with the
protrusion 122, the rotating sphere section 52 does not rotate any
more in the right-hand direction. In other words, the stopper
functions to stop the rotation of the rotating sphere section
52.
Although not shown, assuming that the rotating sphere section 52 is
rotated leftwardly at the time T1, the stopper spring 101 is in
contact with a part of the spherical surface of the rotating sphere
section 52 while the rotating sphere section 52 is rotating and
comes into contact with the groove 121-2 by the elastic force of
the spring when positioned at the portion of the groove 121-2 in
the case where the rotating sphere section 52 is rotated leftwardly
as in the case where the rotating sphere section 52 is rotated
rightwardly.
Then, when the user additionally rotates the rotating sphere
section 52 lefttwardly from the state where the stopper spring 101
is positioned at the groove 121-2, the stopper spring 101 comes
into contact with the protrusion 122. When the stopper spring 101
comes into contact with the protrusion 122, the rotating sphere
section 52 does not rotate any more in the left-hand direction. In
other words, the stopper functions to stop the rotation of the
rotating sphere section 52.
By providing the grooves 121 in the rotating sphere section 52 and
the stopper spring 101 in the retaining member 43 as described
above, the rotation angle in the rotate direction can be
controlled, and it becomes possible to prevent the cable (not
shown) from being unplugged by the over-rotation.
<Other Shapes of Stopper>
As described above, the stopper spring 101 is structured such that
at least a part of the stopper spring 101 is constantly in contact
with the spherical surface of the rotating sphere section 52 and
the grooves 121. For maintaining such a state, a so-called leaf
spring or the like as the plate-like spring is used as the stopper
spring 101, for example. The leaf spring has a plate-like shape
having a predetermined width and thickness, and the shape can be
obtained relatively easily by being processed into a desired
shape.
One end of the leaf spring (stopper spring 101) shown in FIG. 5 is
shaped as if to be latched on the retaining member 43, and the
other end thereof is partially bent as if to come into contact with
the rotating sphere section 52. The leaf spring processed as
described above can be used as the stopper spring 101.
Further, a stopper spring 101a as shown in FIG. 7 may also be used.
The stopper spring 101a shown in FIG. 7 is constituted of a
cylinder 151 and a spring 152. The cylinder 151 is cylindrical, but
the shape may be of other columns excluding a cylinder. In
addition, the cylinder 151 is provided while penetrating a hole
provided in the retaining member 43.
The cylinder 151 of the stopper spring 101a shown in FIG. 7
includes a thin portion and a thick portion, and the thin portion
is inserted into the spring 152. The cylinder 151 is structured
such that a state where it is in contact with the rotating sphere
section 52 is constantly maintained by the elastic force of the
spring 152. When the rotating sphere section 52 is rotated and the
stopper spring 101a is positioned at the position of the groove
121, the cylinder 151 is positioned at that groove 121.
When the rotating sphere section 52 is additionally rotated in the
state where the cylinder 151 is positioned at the groove 121, the
cylinder 151 comes into contact with the protrusion 122 so as to
disable further rotations. As long as the state where the cylinder
151 is constantly in contact with the rotating sphere section 52 is
maintained by the elastic force of the spring 152 as described
above, the shape and size of the cylinder 151, the position and
size of the spring 152, and the like can be changed as
appropriate.
The stopper spring 101a may be formed in a shape of a protrusion as
described above. In other words, it is only necessary to provide a
protrusion having a certain level of elastic force in the retaining
member 43 so that the state where the stopper spring 101a is
constantly in contact with the front surface of the rotating sphere
section 52 can be maintained.
Moreover, the stopper spring 101 may be constituted of one member
like a leaf spring or may be constituted of two or more members
like the cylinder 151 and the spring 152.
Next, the length of the groove 121 will be described. The groove
121 is provided on the front surface of the rotating sphere section
52 as a line having a predetermined width. The length of the groove
121 may be from one end of the spherical surface portion of the
rotating sphere section 52 to the other end or may be set within
the range of a predetermined angle a as shown in FIG. 8.
In the example shown in FIG. 8, the groove 121 is provided from a
position P1 to a position P2 on the spherical surface of the
rotating sphere section 52, and the length becomes an angle a when
expressed by the center angle of the virtual globe of the rotating
sphere section 52. The length of the groove 121 needs to take into
account the movable range in the tilt direction.
The lens tube 50 needs to be movable in the tilt direction even
when the stopper spring 101 is positioned at the groove 121. For
example, when the movable range in the tilt direction is an angle
b, the lens tube 50 needs to be movable in the tilt direction
within the range of the angle b even when the stopper spring 101 is
positioned at the groove 121.
Therefore, when the movable range in the tilt direction is the
angle b, it is favorable for the angle a at which the groove 121 is
provided to be equal to or larger than the angle b. In other words,
it is favorable to set the groove 121 so as to satisfy angle
a.gtoreq.angle b. In other words, the groove 121 is provided on the
front surface of the rotating sphere section 52 as an arc having an
angle equal to or larger than the movable range of the lens tube 50
in the tilt direction as the center angle.
Next, the width of the groove 121 will be described. Here,
descriptions will continue on the case where the leaf spring is
used as the stopper spring 101. When the width of the stopper
spring 101 is width W1 and the width of the groove 121 is W2 as
shown in FIG. 9A, the width of the stopper spring 101 and that of
the groove 121 are set so as to satisfy the relationship of width
W1.ltoreq.width W2.
In this case, the stopper spring 101 fits within the width of the
groove 121 as shown in FIG. 9A so that the stopper spring 101
positively comes into contact with the protrusion 122 and functions
as the stopper.
Alternatively, when the width of the stopper spring 101 is width W3
and the width of the groove 121 is W2 as shown in FIG. 9B, the
width of the stopper spring 101 and that of the groove 121 are set
so as to satisfy the relationship of width W2<width W3.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 9B, a triangle having the stopper
spring 101 as an oblique side and parts of the groove 121 and
protrusion 122 as two sides is formed. In such a state, since one
end of the stopper spring 101 comes into contact with the
protrusion 122, the stopper spring 101 functions as the stopper.
Therefore, the function as the stopper can also be realized when
the width of the stopper spring 101 and that of the groove 121 are
set so as to satisfy the relationship of width W2<width W3.
Next, the shape of the groove 121 will be described. As the shape
of the groove 121, the case where the angle formed between the
groove 121 and the protrusion 122 is an angle c as a right angle as
shown in FIG. 10A has been exemplified in the embodiment above.
As shown in FIG. 10B, an angle d formed between the groove 121 and
the protrusion 122 may be 90 degrees or less. Alternatively, as
shown in FIG. 10C, an angle e formed between the groove 121 and the
protrusion 122 may be 90 degrees or more.
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 10D, the groove 121 may be formed
stepwise. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 10E, the groove 121 may
be formed as a curved surface.
It is favorable for the groove 121 to have a shape in which, when
the rotating sphere section 52 is rotated, the stopper spring 101
is smoothly guided to the groove 121 from the curved surface of the
rotating sphere section 52 without a sense of being stuck, for
example. Moreover, it is favorable for the groove 121 and the
protrusion 122 to have shapes in which the stopper spring 101
positively comes into contact with the protrusion 122 after the
stopper spring 101 is positioned in the groove 121.
The width of the protrusion 122, that is, the interval between the
grooves 121-1 and 121-2 is smaller the better. The width of the
protrusion 122 affects the movable range. The portion corresponding
to the width of the protrusion 122 is a range in which the rotating
sphere section 52 cannot move due to control of the stopper.
Therefore, when the width of the protrusion 122 is large, the range
in which the rotating sphere section 52 is rotatable becomes
small.
When the width of the protrusion 122 is small, the range in which
the rotating sphere section 52 is rotatable becomes close to 360
degrees. Therefore, it is favorable to set the width of the
protrusion 122 small.
As described above, the protrusion 122 is formed by providing the
groove 121 in the rotating sphere section 52, and a protrusion that
is in contact with the front surface of the rotating sphere section
52, such as the stopper spring 101, is provided. The stopper spring
101 is structured such that the state where it is in contact with
the front surface of the rotating sphere section 52 excluding the
protrusion 122 as if sliding smoothly is maintained.
With such a structure, it becomes possible to prevent
over-rotations in the rotate direction. Moreover, also as the
structure in which such rotation control can be performed, a
structure that does not affect the movable range in the tilt
direction can be obtained.
If rotated too much in the rotate direction, the cable may be
unplugged. However, according to the present technique, the
rotation in the rotate direction can be controlled, so the
possibility of such a circumstance occurring can be reduced.
It should be noted that although the dome-type camera 10 has been
exemplified in the embodiment above, an applicable range of the
present technique is not limited to the dome-type camera 10. For
example, the present technique is also applicable to a case where a
rotatable member is provided and a rotation of the rotatable member
in a predetermined direction, that is, the rotate direction in the
example above, is to be controlled.
It should be noted that the effects described in the specification
are mere examples, and other effects may be obtained without being
limited to those examples.
It should be noted that the embodiment of the present technique is
not limited to the embodiment described above and can be variously
modified without departing from the gist of the present
technique.
It should be noted that the present technique may also take the
following structures.
(1) An image pickup apparatus, including:
an optical block constituted of a lens;
an image pickup block constituted of an image pickup device;
a lens tube that accommodates the optical block and the image
pickup block and includes a rotating sphere section having a shape
of a sphere larger than a hemisphere;
a supporting member in which a circular opening having an inner
diameter smaller than a diameter of the rotating sphere section is
formed, the rotating sphere section being mounted on the supporting
member on an outer side of the opening; and
a retaining member in which a circular opening having an inner
diameter smaller than the diameter of the rotating sphere section
is formed, the retaining member accommodating the rotating sphere
section on an inner side of the opening and preventing the lens
tube from falling out, in which:
the image pickup block is provided inside the rotating sphere
section;
at least a part of the optical block is positioned inside a virtual
globe obtained by extending a spherical surface of the rotating
sphere section;
the rotating sphere section has two grooves formed on a front
surface thereof; and
the retaining member has a protrusion that comes into contact with
the front surface of the rotating sphere section.
(2) The image pickup apparatus according to (1) above,
in which the protrusion is constituted of a member having an
elastic force.
(3) The image pickup apparatus according to (1) above, in
which:
the protrusion is constituted of a plate-like spring;
a width of the spring is equal to or smaller than a width of the
grooves; and
a rotation of the rotating sphere section is stopped by one end of
the plate-like spring coming into contact with the protrusion
constituting the virtual globe between the two grooves.
(4) The image pickup apparatus according to (1) above, in
which:
the protrusion is constituted of a plate-like spring;
a width of the spring is larger than a width of the grooves;
and
a rotation of the rotating sphere section is stopped by one end of
the plate-like spring coming into contact with the protrusion
constituting the virtual globe between the two grooves.
(5) The image pickup apparatus according to any one of (1) to (4)
above,
in which the grooves are provided on the front surface of the
rotating sphere section as an arc having an angle equal to or
larger than a movable range of the lens tube in a tilt direction as
a center angle.
(6) The image pickup apparatus according to (1) above, in
which:
the protrusion is constituted of a column and a spring; and
a state where the column is in contact with the front surface of
the rotating sphere section is maintained by a force of the
spring.
DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
10 camera 40 pedestal 42 supporting member 43 retaining member 44
movable plate 45 fixing screw 46 rotating shaft 50 lens tube 52
rotating sphere section 70 optical block 71 lens 80 image pickup
block 81 CCD device 101 stopper spring 121 groove 122
protrusion
* * * * *